Hurricane Isaac

The LSU AgCenter estimates Hurricane Isaac has cut Louisiana's pecan harvest by 15 percent.

Charlie Graham, professor for fruit and nut crops, says that would bring the total to just over 11 million pounds — down from pre-storm estimates of 13 million to 13.5 million pounds. It still would be up from last year's 9 million pounds.

Graham says prices are likely to be similar to 2011 levels.

Last November, farm prices ran from $1.25 to $3.50 a pound, with most varieties starting above $2.

A 175-year-old lighthouse that stood at Pass Manchac was knocked over by Hurricane Isaac's strong surge.

WWL-TV reports that the landmark in Tangipahoa Parish now lies crumbled in the water. The Pass Manchac Lighthouse was erected at a pass connecting lakes Maurepas and Pontchartrain.

Al Dranguet, a professor of history at Southeastern Louisiana University, said the lighthouse was a beacon of safety for many generations.

In the wake of major flooding during Hurricane Isaac, the St. John the Baptist Parish president is asking the Army Corps of Engineers to speed up plans for levees.

The Times-Picayune reports that Natalie Robottom has asked the corps to fast-track a decision on an alignment for a hurricane levee to protect the east banks of St. John and St. James parishes.

She recently went to Washington to make the parish's case.

Mayor Mayson Foster says he has submitted a proposal for review by the city's fire and police unions, City Council members and department heads that could lead to revamping procedures for giving city employees time off at times of natural disasters.

The Advocate reports Councilman Lemar Marshall asked at the council's meeting earlier this week why city employees were required to come to work during the approach and landfall of Hurricane Isaac, which struck on the night of Aug. 28.

Hurricane Isaac has caused a delay in New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu's annual presentation of a proposed city budget.

The mayor's office said Thursday that Landrieu has signed an executive order allowing for a budget presentation two weeks later than the administration has done in the previous two years.

Residents in East Feliciana and West Feliciana parishes who were affected by Hurricane Isaac have seven days, beginning Thursday, to apply for disaster food benefits.

State officials say they're opening sites at the East Feliciana Early Learning Center in Clinton and the Independence Community Center in St. Francisville, each day, from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Officials say repairs to the Mandeville fishing pier, which was damaged by Hurricane Isaac, will take about three months to complete and could cost around $200,000.

Public Works Director David deGeneres tells The Times-Picayune the popular 400-foot pier at Sunset Point on the city's lakefront will remain closed until the repairs are complete.

City officials are hoping that the Federal Emergency Management Agency will help pay for the repairs. If federal money is made available, officials say the city would have to pay only 25 percent of the repair costs.

State wildlife and fisheries officials have extended the East Zone wild alligator harvest season through Oct. 4.

Robert Barham, secretary of the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, approved the extension Tuesday.

The scheduled opening of the East Zone season was delayed from Aug. 29 until Sept. 1 due to the approach of Tropical Storm Isaac, which reached hurricane strength before landfall. Resulting flooding and displacement of residents prompted the extension.

State regulators say they are issuing a $12,189 fine against a chemical terminal flooded during Hurricane Isaac because it did not notify authorities fast enough about chemical releases.

On Tuesday, the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality said it issued the fine against Stolthaven New Orleans LLC, a company that operates a chemical terminal along the Mississippi River in Plaquemines Parish.

Entergy Corp. says its estimated damages from Hurricane Isaac range from $400 million to $500 million, and the storm is expected to reduce the utility's third-quarter revenue.

In a news release on Tuesday, Entergy said it will pursue all reasonable avenues to recover storm costs, including using its storm reserves, borrowing, additional charges for customers, and insurance.

Entergy said it is unable to predict the degree of success it may have in these initiatives, the amount of restoration costs it may recover or when it may recover them.